1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel antitumor antibiotic and to its production and recovery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The novel compound of the present invention is related in structure to the antitumor agent, rebeccamycin, disclosed and claimed in co-pending application Ser. No. 461,817 filed Jan. 28, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,487,925 the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Rebeccamycin has the formula ##STR1## and is obtained by cultivating Nocardia aerocolonigenes.
Somewhat related in structure to the compound of the present invention is the antitumor agent, staurosporine (also called AM-2282), obtained from fermentation of Streptomyces staurosporeus. Staurosporine is described in J.C.S. Chem. Comm., 1978, Pg. 800-801 and in J. Antibiotics 30(4): 275-282 (1977).
Agnew Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 19(6): 459-460 (1980) discloses several indole pigments obtained from the fruiting bodies of the slime mold Arcyria denudata which are structurally related to staurosporine. Certain of the pigments exhibit activity against Bacillus brevis and B. subtilis.